I’ve Listened to These Records…

I was first intrigued by the cover, a fantastical cartoonish view of what’s in the remains of a glass of water. It starts out with the title track and one thinks of pre-bald Peter Gabriel playing with some hipster Seattle band that will remain unnamed (but a few of the members are horses). It moves through three more unfortunately short ditties; “Walking” – an apt title for the bass driven hammering and breathy daydreams that fill the minutes; “Polo” – scary, vague, distant song that brings the Gabriel comparison to the forefront; “Gay A” – I haven’t yet figured out if this is pro-gay or a tale of how the vocalist, through the power of voluntary self mind-control, moved from boys to girls because he’s “on a mission to fix my condition, to fix me for good”; the last two are remixes of the title track. I’m over it.

Artist: The Black AngelsAlbum: PassoverFormat: CD

Psychedelic doom pop sometimes reminiscent of the Doors. Through the first three songs, “Young Men Dead”, “The First Vietnamese War”, and “The Sniper at the Gates of Hell” (you can throw “Black Grease” in there, too), you think, “I dig this. Its dark, angry, mildly melodic.” Then it gets old. The lyrics start going from the old favorite, “Kill, kill, kill, kill.”, to the boring, “Red and green was the color of her dress, Manipulation.” Good for background music at a head shop but don’t listen too closely, its simplicity will disappoint you.

Artist: EfterklangAlbum: Under Giant TreesFormat: CD

Spacious. Repetitive. Creative and thought-provoking. An enjoyable soundtrack to watch something burn to the ground – something harmless…like an abandoned tool shed or a pool house swarming with wasps. Beauty, urgency but at the same time complete patience. This is slow music for a day when something like that just needs to happen. The most upbeat section is the end part of the second song, “Himmelbjerget”, a war-march of sorts. A loud roar before sleeping though the rest of the five song EP.